Hero of the Swarm
by KRissCHu
Summary: To prevent the Zerg from falling in the hands of the Hybrid, the Overmind created the Queen of Blades. But what if she were to perish? Because of that, he also created a replacement for her, who due to unfortunate events was sent away to a far away world, and now gathers a force to combat the Hybrid.
1. Chapter 1: Contingency plan - Failure?

_Disclamer: This is a non-profit fan based fictional composition. Heroes of Might and Magic and all its related properties belong to Ubisoft. StarCraft and all its related properties belong to Blizzard Entertainment._

* * *

Darkness. Reality consisted of nothing but an eternal black void.

'Who am I?' A voice echoed through the emptiness.

As if to answer the question. _"Agent Osimon Ryans..."_ Another voice, which sounded a little static, appeared.

Light poured from the darkness, taking the image of a man in a lab coat, holding a check board in his hands. _"...Vital signs are in their norms, eye reaction is on point..."_ The man listed off. _"The operation is a success."_ He finally announced, turning around and walking away.

Osimon, as he was addressed, reached his hand forward to stop the man, only to feel it press against what appeared to be glass. He put more focus on the scene before him and managed to see dark blue eyes staring back at him as a reflection in the glass.

'Where am I? Why am I here?' Osimon questioned again.

The image was once again sucked into the darkness, and in its place came various images of unspeakable horrors. 'Zerg!' Osimon recognized the bug like creatures that he saw swarming around him. The scene changed, sending him to the bridge of what he recalled was a Battlecruiser. Shadowy figures with no faces stood around a star map, speaking in muffled words. The only ones Osimon managed to make out were "infestation", "Confederate facility", "extremely important", "terminate" and "subtly".

Suddenly he was thrown within burning rubble. A couple of zerglings ran past him, but didn't manage to detect him. Looking down at his hands he saw that he held a canister rifle.

'I am a ghost?' Osimon thought, when a disturbing sound made him look up.

His eyes met those of an Overseer, whose massive bulk floated right above him. Before he could react the wall behind which he was hiding was smashed through, the impact throwing him forward. Turning around he was met by two hydralisks. Osimon tried grabbing the rifle he had, but it was knocked far out of his reach.

The very next moment the hydralisks lunged at him and darkness engulfed his vision once more.

'I...died...the infestation was far larger than anticipated...my squad...overwhelmed...' His thoughts echoed through the void.

'Not yet child.' A soothing voice reached out to him, causing Osimon to frantically look around for its source. 'You are still needed, to prevent the burning shadow.' The voice continued.

'Who is this?!' Osimon shouted in his thoughts, before he caught glimpse of a giant green eye, mounted on a huge fleshy mass.

'I am the Overmind. And you...belong to the Zerg.' The voice emanating from the eye said.

Before he even had time to react, Osimon screamed in pain as the Overmind vanished and an immense influx of memories began pouring like a waterfall into his conscience. Chaos, destruction, monstrous creatures passed right through Osimon's very being. Amongst the various memories he noticed a woman recurring constantly. She was the rebel Sarah Kerrigan. Eventually becoming twisted by the Zerg, taking control of them.

The fall of the Confederacy, Zerg brutality at the hands of Kerrigan, the end of the Protoss Executor and his race's retaliation, Terrans invading Char. But the worst out of the immense influx of information he received was the revelation of the Hybrids. No matter how terrible the Zerg were, they could not compare to the Hybrid.

A weighing sensation of dread washed over Osimon as the knowledge of them burned itself into his mind, but was soon replaced by utter fear when the whole torrent of memories slowly faded into darkness, replaced only by a fiery red gaze. Osimon had no idea how long that lasted. He had come to terms that all of it was happening inside his head, so it could have only been seconds, but it felt like an eternity.

Then out of the blue, he once again heard the voice of the Overmind.

'Should the Queen fall...the King must take her place!' Until suddenly a blinding flash of blue energy seemingly exploded right in front of him.

* * *

This time, Osimon's eyes shot open. After taking a few seconds to recover from the shock, he noticed that he was submerged into a greenish liquid. Instinctively he lunged his hands forward, tearing through a soft fleshy fleshy membrane.

Deep within a tunnel far beneath the surface of Char a single zerg cocoon pulsed. It's membrane was torn from the inside, liquid pouring out, along with Osimon, who fell forward to his knees, coughing out liquid that had entered his lungs.

After several coughs he brought his hand up to his mouth, only to see it had taken a greenish shade, his nails grown into long claws. The ghost armor he was wearing had turned to carapace. He could also feel two extensions on his back. When he turned his head to the side he was met with a pair of wing shaped claws. With a hint of fear he once again looked down into a small puddle of the cocoon's liquid, to see a greenish face, below short spiked carapace like hair, with burning orange eyes stare back at him.

"No..." He uttered, his voice letting out an echo, before loudly gasping. "Ah!"

Osimon brought his hand to his forehead as his mind was once again bombarded with information. This time however it was different. He felt a connection. Doing his best to focus, he realized that he had entered a direct telepathic link with all Zerg that were in the system, but he soon found out through their thought that that number was not very high, due to the Xel'Naga artefact the Terrans used to annihilate them.

The few thousand surviving zerg were either at the very edge of the system, or even deeper within the planet. The biggest surprise to Osimon however, was the feeling of distress coming from every single one. Kerrigan was probably dead, since he could not sense her through the connection at all, as well as the fact that he was "awoken" to replace her. Without her, all the Zerg that he shared his mid with felt uneasy from the fact that they knew not what to do.

Some lashed out and began attacking their own, others beckoned for overlords and leviathans to gobble them up in order to flee the planet, and third were being gunned down by terran forces that had come across them. The one common thing amongst them however, was the fact that the vast majority of them looked through their minds at Osimon, the signals appearing to him as if they were pleas for help, looking for guidance and salvation.

"I...command them now?" He spoke to himself. "I should have these monsters die, but...without them, or me, the abominations they were used to create will ravage the cosmos..." The former ghost's rant sent him into a lucid state, without him even realizing what words came out of his mouth. "The hope of the universe lies with the Zerg...and their King..."

'Then he must fall!' A menacing voice shouted in Osimon's head, breaking him out of his lucid state.

Just as he got to his feet and tried to assess what its source was, the answer revealed itself to him, as the hulking form of a dark purple Hybrid Reaver smashed through the wall of the tunnel, a dozen meters away from Osimon. Through the hole it made stepped out another Reaver and a glowing Hybrid Destroyer floated behind it.

A mere tense moment passed, before the Destroyer shouted. "Slay him for the Master!" After which it threw its arms forward, two torrents of lightning shooting out from its hands, going right between the Reavers and towards Osimon. Thankfully he managed to shake away the shock in time and jumped to the side, the lightning incinerating the cocoon he had laid dormant in, and blowing another hole in the wall of the tunnel.

Immediately after the strike failed, the Reavers charged at Osimon, the Destroyer following suit. The jump the infested terran had taken sent him much further that he had intended. That is when he managed to process the knowledge of his enhanced physique. But before he had a moment more to contemplate on it his attention was taken by the charging monsters. The most primal of instincts took him over, prompting him to turn around and run.

Thankfully for him, the tunnel was both wide and long enough to give him the chance to put his stronger legs to the test, but he had only a several meter advantage against the Hybrids. Ducking to evade another energy shot, Osimon put his brain into overdrive on how to deal with the situation. Accessing the memories he had received about, and most probably from Kerrigan herself he found out he was able to channel Void energy, but he did not know how to properly access it yet. He needed to buy himself a little more time in order to learn.

It was then when he decided to do something he was not very keen on doing. Focusing his mind he entered the link he had with the Zerg around him and mentally shouted. 'TO MY SIDE!'

Faint relief came to him as he received an answer, despite it coming from a single source.

'Alright, let's see if this works.' Osimon thought, before thrusting his right arm up as he ran.

His lips curved up when a steady beam of energy shot from his palm, hitting the ceiling and causing it to collapse behind him. The blockade he had created would most definitely slow them enough for him to set up his counter attack. Bringing his hand down, he stopped the beam. Before him opened up a tall wall, which led up to another tunnel level.

Jumping up he made it to over half of the wall's height, before doing a wall jump in order to get into the upper tunnel. Just as he did that a loud crash, mixed in with a roar, was heard, signalizing to him that a Reaver had smashed through the rubble Osimon had left behind.

After taking several steps into the new tunnel, something dug out of the nearby wall. A pleased smile colored the infested terran's face, when he saw it was the baneling he had managed to reach through the hive mind. Osimon focused his mind once again, both his eyes and those of the baneling glowing in vibrant orange, after which the living bomb curled up into a ball and rolled down the tunnel at the hole through which Osimon had arrived. Osimon himself ran after the baneling, but at a slightly slower pace.

The Reaver that had first come through the fallen rocks quickly surveyed the area, noticing the hole in the ceiling momentarily. It began climbing up the stone wall, opening its maw wide in order to release another threatening roar. However, its eyes widened in fearful surprise when it saw the baneling fall down the hole. Before the Reaver had time to react, the baneling fell right into its opened mouth and exploded at the back of the dark abomination's throat, causing the massive creature's head to slowly liquefy from the acid.

Incapable of functioning, the headless body lost its grip on the wall and fell down just as the second Reaver was walking up to the clearing. Suddenly Osimon dropped from the ceiling and onto the falling dead husk. Using it as support he jumped forward from it, doing a frontal flip, slamming his heel at the top of the second Reaver's head.

The monster's thick skull managed to prevent any fracture to the brain, but the force of the impact was powerful enough to stun it and make it fall forward as Osimon once again jumped up, using his clawed wings to latch onto what remained of the ceiling. It was then when his gaze came in contact with that of the Hybrid Destroyer.

Instantly the Hybrid scowled and with a loud grunt shot another energy blast at Osimon. The infested terran's wings tensed as they pushed him away from the ceiling and shot him down. He narrowly evaded the blast, reaching the ground and sliding beneath the floating Destroyer with blinding speed.

Before the Hybrid could even react, Osimon jumped up and landed on its head, the claws on his wings and hands sinking deep into the creature's skull. It cried out in pain, while the former ghost let out a shout as energy surged through his limbs right into the creature's head with the intent of frying everything that was inside.

The plan seemed to have worked as Osimon felt the Hybrid going limp. What did not expect however was for its body to turn purple, before its chest suddenly tore open into a rift of immeasurable power. Acting similarly to a black hole, the rift began sucking in rocks and dirt from the surrounding area. Due to his close proximity Osimon got sucked half way in as well. He stabbed his wings into the still levitating body of the Destroyer as his hands grabbed onto the sides of the rift, using all four limbs to pull himself out.

He had slight progress in his battle against the suction force, but it was all for naught when he saw the second Reaver stand up and turn around in his direction. With a final roar filled with rage, the beast shot forth one of the tendrils on its back, hitting Osimon square in the face and pushing him into the rift.

"NOOOO!" Osimon screamed as he fell down and the distancing rift closed itself.

* * *

Osimon found himself falling through a violent vortex of energy. Crackles of purple lightning occasionally struck him, pushing him around and searing his carapace, resulting in a few open wounds.

He was frantically looking for a means of escape within both his surrounding and the knowledge he had locked up in his mind. After a dozen intense heartbeats a supposedly valuable piece of information made it through his thoughts - Void energy was capable of disrupting and "cutting through" other types of energy in fashion similar to how a high-frequency blade worked on solid matter.

Gathering all of his strength he brought his arms forward and focused as best as he could in his current conditions, concentrating a vast amount of Void energy, which he then unleashed in a powerful torrent of lightning, which hit the wall of the vortex.

Moments turned into seconds, and seconds eventually became a minute. The energy output he was performing was taking a great toll on Osimon's body, but he noticed that the torrent was pushing through and had opened up a wound within the structure of the vortex. By the time exhaustion truly took hold of him he had managed to make the wound wide enough for him to pass.

He could barely make out something green on the other side of the hole, but he had no idea how to go through it. But he did not have to wait long for an answer. Out of nowhere a more sizable bolt of purple lightning hit him and pushed him out through the vortex's wound.

When out the sensation of falling did not end once Osimon made it on the other side. He was facing the wound he had created during his exit, and saw it force itself shut shortly after he left.

Sighing in relief he turned around in mid-air...only to realize the green thing he had seen was a densely forested area which was very far away from him...but he was approaching it at breakneck speed.

A new search for a way to survive ensued. Thanks to the lack of energy bolts striking his body definitely helped Osimon find something to utilize much faster. He could alter the form of output of the psionic energy he controlled and utilize it as telekinesis.

Immediately he focused on his entire body and using his telekinetic grasp tried to prevent it from leaving the air. His control was far from perfect, so managed to greatly slow his descent he at best. But he could not fully stop, resulting in him crashing through the trees down to the forest's floor, but without taking fatal damage.

Groaning, Osimon slowly got back to his feet, using a nearby tree for support. The surface of the tree felt wet and hairy. Looking at it he saw it was covered by moss. A quick survey of the surrounding area suggested to him that he was in some kind of swamp. At first he assumed that it could be a jungle, but despite being pretty high, the humidity in the air felt too low for it to be such a habitat, so his next best guess was that he was in a marsh of sorts.

With the curiosity about his whereabouts vaguely satisfied, Osimon examined himself. Apparently being infested also came with accelerated regenerative capabilities, since all of the wounds he had suffered within the vortex had closed up, and the carapace that used to be above them was growing back anew.

The lack of blood on the ground, or more precisely - the lack of signs of infestation in the plants around him, led Osimon to believe that his deeper wounds had closed during his fall, and that so far a more direct form of the Zerg virus had not come in contact with the area he was currently at. Feeling at ease he slammed his fist against the tree, creating a deep crack over its trunk, in a fit of rage.

"Fuck!" Osimon cursed, before speaking to himself. "This is it...I can't feel any connection with any of the Zerg anymore. I'm most definitely outside of the Koprulu sector, or maybe even the Milky Way...Without a leader the Zerg can't be used against the Hybrid." Covering his face with his hands he plopped down on the ground, his next words coming out as if he was trying not to cry. "Everything is lost and I'm stuck god knows where!...What can I possibly do n-"

His monologue of self pity ended when his telepathic senses felt something. Turning to his left he looked in the direction of a telepathic signal that was being emitted. It felt like a...threat. A warning to keep away.

"Intelligent life with psionic abilities? Maybe there is something I can do after all." He said to himself as he got back up and made his way towards the source of the signal.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note: Thank you for giving this story some of your time. The first chapter pretty much has nothing on the HOMM side, but that is to introduce you, the readers, to the...hero of our story(YEAAAAAAH! XD...I feel bad for writing that. v-v), and how he ends up in the situation we will follow him along on. I promise you, starting chapter two a healthy dose of HOMM will be presented to give light on the setting.**_

 _ **Once again, thank you for giving this a read, I would love you hear your feedback on it and most important of all, I hope you enjoyed it! :)**_


	2. Chapter 2: Explorer Reporting

_Disclamer: This is a non-profit fanbased fictional composition. Heroes of Might and Magic and all of its related properties belong to Ubisoft. StarCraft and all of its related properties belong to Blizzard Entertainment._

* * *

Osimon had spent what he estimated were several hours of hiking through the dense marshy flora. The telepathic signal he had picked up became stronger with each step he made forward, but the closer he got, the infested terran managed to distinguish its essence.

Whatever was the source of the signal it was extremely primitive and weak compared to the control he had over the Zerg...for a few short minutes.

The time of his trek was not spent on just following the signal. As the sun of whatever world he was currently on began to set, more and more information that was locked away in his mind was released and processed.

There was still much of it to pass through his thoughts, but Osimon had at least managed to inform himself of the most important topics, concerning what had transpired before his "awakening". He was programmed to receive all of Kerrigan's memories the moment she lost connection with the Swarm, while he would remain in a dormant state within the cocoon, completely hidden from the Queen of Blades herself, in order to prevent Amon, the fallen Xel'Naga, from spreading his influence to him.

His original assumption that Kerrigan was dead soon gave in to doubt as he relived her final hours as leader of the Swarm. The Terrans that had invaded Char used a Xel'Naga artefact that wiped out most of the Zerg on and around the planet, but they speculated that it would de-infest Kerrigan, instead of killing her.

That seemed to be the more likely case to him. Another thing he deduced from analyzing Kerrigan's memories was that the artefact did more than just cleanse her of the infestation, it also burned away the faint influence Amon had over her. Following that logic he reached the conclusion that the effect of the artefact affected him as well, but only on a mental basis.

From what Osimon could feel, there was nothing enforcing its will over his own, so it was a good guess that if Amon ever had any influence over him it was removed. But another thing which enforced the theory that the artefact affected him were memories he was not supposed to have.

Somehow the energy nova had broken a mental barrier, encrypted within the zerg genes he now had, which resulted in several key memories of the Overmind himself, leaking right into Osimon's own mind. The most rattling of which was a vision the once great ruler of the Zerg had about the future, should Kerrigan, and subsequently Osimon, be removed as leaders of the Swarm.

The infested terran did not know whether he was the only "back up plan" the Overmind had left behind, or if there were other Kings and Queens of Blades that were left to command the Zerg in their stead and protect them from the Hybrid. Such knowledge, should it have ever existed, must have died along with the Overmind.

However, the belief that there were others like him, that were not discovered by the Hybrid as he was, was the insignificant but immeasurably important sliver of hope he had for the survival of the universe. It was also the driving force that prevented him from falling to despair.

Along with the Zerg leaders' invaluable information, Osimon had also managed to regain the memories of his life before the infestation. He was indeed a ghost, but that knowledge greatly confused him. Looking back on his life, he was left with the impression that he was too..."compassionate", for a lack of a better word coming to his mind at the time, for a ghost.

The thought that perhaps that was the reason the Overmind didn't have him killed, but instead brought him in for infestation, jokingly flashed in his conscience, bringing a quick smirk on his face. But putting those thoughts aside, Osimon knew that sooner or later one of two things would inevitably happen.

Either the Hybrid would come to the world he was currently on, or he would one day have to leave with a force powerful enough to combat them.

While contemplating the second option, Osimon was bothered by something. Throughout his entire hike, other than the flora and the occasional miniature insect flying in front of his field of vision, he had seen no other signs of life. The lack of large game in such a healthy ecosystem suggested to him that something was off.

'Could it possibly have anything to do with the signal I've been following? I sense that I am almost at its source.' Osimon thought.

Shortly after he exited the woods and ended up on a small clearing. The sensation of the alien sun on his skin was rather refreshing. As he enjoyed the warm rays, his senses picked up movement far to his side. Turning his head he saw a large mass of animals herded together, their greenish skin slightly blending them with the scenery.

Osimon thought it rather strange that he detected the first animals he came across with his "normal" senses, before sensing their minds. Despite its peculiar nature, Osimon dismissed the notion, assuming that the phenomenon occurred, because the animals were in very close proximity to whatever was emitting the signal that he had followed.

That thought reminded him why he had originally come to this destination. Now this was truly bizarre. Osimon felt that he was right in front of that source, but all he saw before himself was more acres of dense woods.

'This isn't right.' He thought. 'Such a primitive form of telepathy can't possibly be used to hide psionic signals so well from something-...' The infested terran paused momentarily, before correcting himself. '...someone like me.' A faint growl of annoyance escaped him. 'I better try investigating along the tree line. If not anything I'll at least get to see what kind of creatures inhabit this particular area.' Upon thinking that, Osimon slowly walked parallel to the trees that were in front of him, in the direction of the herd.

His eyes and other senses scanned through the woods with surgical precision for any sign of whatever emited the signal, but with no success. Sighing, he decided to give his increasing nerves a rest and instead focused his attention on the creatures, which were now roughly thirty meters away from him. Osimon wasn't particularly worried about approaching any of the fauna on this world. He doubted that there was any sort of mere animal in the entirety of the cosmos that could pose a problem for someone like himself.

Now that he had a better view of the herd he saw that it consisted of roughly fifteen very large bulls. Interestingly enough instead of skin they sported what looked to be like thick green scales. The reflection of the sun's shine solidified that assumption, instead of his second thought that it might have been carapace. He also noticed some sort of greenish gas leaving their nostrils when they exhaled. Undoubtedly it had to be toxic in nature.

The need to analyze their combat capabilities momentarily left Osimon's mind when he saw three or four calves jump out of the shield of flesh that were the adult specimens. Their frolicking brought a smile on Osimon's face. It, however, quickly faded away when saw a bloodied corpse in between the bulls, which they were quickly devouring.

'Well...that was most certainly unexpected.' Osimon said to himself in his mind.

One of the frolicking calves turned its head in the infested terran's direction. The very moment it spotted him the small animal began crying out loudly in distress.

'Oh shit...' Osimon thought as the rest of the herd raised their heads and looked at him.

Leaving the carcass they quickly surrounded the calves and began to threateningly grunt and bellows, digging their clawed hooves into the ground. Suddenly their line broke. Out of the mass of bodies emerged another bull, which was nearly twice as large as the other adults, whose scales were silverish-black in color. Its gaze firmly locked onto Osimon. For some reason, the infested terran felt a wave of unease wash through him as he looked into the animal's eyes.

Narrowing its eyes at the stranger, the bull let out a deafening bellow, after which it charged towards the zerg. Osimon shook his head, ridding himself of the sensation, before taking up a fighting stance. The creature was nearing him quickly, but both it and Osimon's surprise an arrow shot out of nowhere, bouncing off from the bull's scales, narrowly missing its eye.

The impact was enough to tip the creature's balance, causing it to fall forward and roll once, before it got up on its hooves. Suddenly something jumped out of the nearby shrubbery. It was humanoid, but definitely not human. Blue scales covered its body, which was barely covered by a loincloth and some rags. The new arrival also sported a tail, claws on both its feet and hands, along with a reptilian head, Osimon labeling it a lizardman.

The lizardman firmly held a bow the length of its torso in front of him, taking out another arrow from a quiver on its back and aimed it once again at the bull. Both stared each other down. After a couple of moments the lizardman let out a loud and threatening hiss. To the dismay of the zerg, the bull grunted, breathing out a small cloud of its green breath, before turning around and walking back towards its herd.

The other bulls began moving away along with it, two biting down and dragging the carcass they had been devouring. Once all of them were out of sight, hidden amongst the woods, the lizardman lowered its bow and turned to face Osimon.

'How did it do that?' The zerg questioned in his mind. 'It doesn't seem to show any hostility. I may not have to resort to violence. Let's see if its intellect matches its tools.' Osimon reasoned, before casually saying. "Hello."

"So you speak the common tongue?" The creature questioned, before pausing momentarily. Shortly after it responded in a somewhat friendly, but mainly cautious manner. "Hello."

'So it can speak. That's something. But that ability doesn't automatically make someone intelligent.' Osimon mentally stated, before asking. "I appear to be lost. Do you know where I am?"

"You stranger are on Leer'krah and his tribe's land." Leer'krah stated with vague hesitation, before continuing. "Now that Leer'krah has given you his name, by custom you must give your own."

'My name? Should I share it with this...Leer'krah? It would probably not be a wise decision. If the hybrids found me on Char, they must know of Osimon Ryans. And I do not know what is the reach of their master's knowledge. If he or his agents hear my name on the currents of the Void they would undoubtedly seek me out.' Osimon briefly monologued in his mind. 'But what should I-...'

Suddenly, the image of his ID from his ghost days presented itself in his mind, reading O. Ryans. It was then that an idea of a proper name came to him. Breathing in, Osimon returned with confidence. "I am, Orion."

The lizardman nodded his head seemingly in approval, before saying. "Good name. Powerful. Now speak, what brought you here?"

Receiving commands didn't really appeal to Orion, but he kept the disdain it brought him hidden. "I...do not know." He put on a soft expression to go with his act. "Forgive me, but I do not remember much. My mind feels like a hazy fog. Other than my name, the only thing I remember most clearly is waking up further down the woods behind me several hours ago."

Leer'krah scowled at the statement. After contemplating Orion's words for a short while he asked. "Can Orion see a memory of what might have caused this through the mist in his mind?"

'Not one to give up so easily, are you? Alright then. Perhaps if I share a little detail it would be too complicated for his mind to handle and he will drop the subject.' Orion reasoned. "Not much. A mere fragment amongst a flurry of shards. I remember falling through a vortex of purple lightning."

"Vortex of purple lightning you say. Hmm. That sounds like Wizards' work." Leer'krah stated.

'Wizards? Seriously?' Orion could not believe what he had heard.

"Could it be that Orion is a beastman, creation of wizards, like Leer'krah and his tribe are?" The lizardman asked.

"A what?" Orion asked back, puzzled by the title.

"But that may not be true. Your eyes have a demonic feeling to them." Leer'krah added, after which his eyes widened in what seemed to be realization.

'A demonic feeling to to them? I don't think that was meant as an insult, but even if it was it's not far from the truth.' The Zerg thought, before the lizardman shared his other thoughts with him.

"Are you another attempt of the wizards to merge men and demons, like the goblins, orcs and cyclops?"

This time it was Orion whose eyes widened, only in his case it was from disbelief of what he was hearing.

'Goblins? Orcs? Cyclops? Demons? Is this guy for real or is he pulling my wings here?' Were the thoughts that crossed the zerg's mind as he assessed the situation. He studied Leer'krah's features for a sign that his words were a jest, but he found no clue to support that. 'So he is serious about all this magic and fantasy stuff. Alright, I'll play along.'

Calming himself and putting on a not so surprised expression, Orion returned. "Like I said, I have no memory of exactly who I am and where I come from. But now that you brought that though up, I do feel that my form is…not entirely natural. Maybe I am indeed a work of these…wizards."

"Greedy madmen, their whole lot. Neither the orcs, nor us beastmen were enough of a lesson for them, so they had to make themselves more slaves. And now instead of just returning the ones who do not obey them to Mother Earth's embrace they use their magics to steal their minds." Leer'krah stated, anger obvious in his tone.

Taking a breath to calm himself he continued. "Forgive my outburst. My people, not just the lizardmen, but all of us who fled the Seven cities long ago have not remembered the wizards with good throughout the generations."  
'Well, well. Bad blood is definitely connected to this topic. Thankfully it gives me quite the nice cover story. Let's see how much information I can milk out with it.' Orion smirked mentally.

"You need not apologize. Since we are both born of the wizards' making, then that makes us brothers by fate. Perhaps my loss of memory is a chance for me to make myself a new life. And where better to start with that quest than with getting to know my brethren. I may not know a lot, but I wish to learn."

Orion was sure that he had played his cards properly when he saw a smile forming on Leer'krah's face.

"For a man with no mind you are very wise, brother. Few are the people I know that speak so true." The lizardman stated.

"Would you mind me asking, but this has been bothering me for a while. For some reason I have been feeling something...threatening me, sort of, to leave for some time now, and for some reason that sensation is stronger here?" Orion asked, more than curious to find out the source of the psionic signal he had followed.

"Oh right. Even if you are a our kin you are not of my tribe, so you must have been affected." Leer'krah casually returned.

"Affected? By what?" The zerg questioned.

The lizardman beckoned the other to follow him into the tree line where Orion felt the signal coming from. A couple of steps into it, Leer'krah pointed up one of the trees' backside. Looking up, Orion spotted a bizarre bloody red symbol onto the trunk of the tree.

"What is that?" He asked, puzzled by the symbol which he now studied.

"A glyph of fear, blood magic. The tribe's witches and shamans have conjured them on nearly all the trees surrounding the tribe's city. Anyone who doesn't have the blood of tribe has mind infused with essence of fear by them. They keep beasts we have not tamed yet at safe distance, and work a little less on intruders." Leer'krah explained.

'Fascinating.' Orion smiled in his mind. 'That is a simple, but quite a useful first line of defense. I'll have to look into it.'

"But is there a way to remove its effects on someone?" The zerg asked.

"Two ways. Get accepted by tribe's elders and undertake a ritual where you are accepted as blood brother of tribe, or stay for very long time. Eventually effects affect you less and less, until you no longer feel them." Was the response he received.

"I see. Could you tell me more about your tribe?" Orion inquired.

"Gladly, but we better go to the city. They left, but the gorgons could return shortly and with heightened resistance to intimidation." Leer'krah stated, after which he began walking into the forest.

"Gorgons?" The infested terran confusedly let out, raising a brow.

"The beasts that had you frozen in fear brother." The lizardman returned.

'I wouldn't call it frozen in fear...' Orion scoffed mentally, but did not show it. "So that's what they are called. I have to admit they were a quite threatening, especially the silverish one that charged at me."

"Mother Earth gave birth to many beasts, but the Gorgons are amongst the toughest. Carnivorous reptiles. Their bodies are the embodiment of Mother Earth's strength. As they grow in size their scales become harder than steel and gain the silverish color. So much so that if they grit their teeth or grind their lips they produce sparks. And their breath grows more toxic with their age, up to a point where the sparks they can produce ignite it and makes it seem as if they breathe fire like dragons." Leer'krah spoke as the two passed through the trees and the softening soil.

'So I was right about their breath being toxic.' Orion thought with a hint of pride for his deduction skills. However, that didn't last long as he struggled to navigate in the mud. Unlike Leer'krah, who effortlessly marched over it, Orion's feet sunk rather deep into the sticky ground, leading him to believe that despite the similarity of their size, he was heavier than the lizardman.

"While their eyes carry the pure fury of Father Sky." Leer'krah continued his lecture on gorgons. "That is why once you look into a gorgon's eyes you either freeze in panic, or die on the spot from their gaze alone. That trait is especially prominent in the silverish ones. Because of that and their larger bulk we call them Mighty Gorgons."

"The one that charged at you was the bull, or how wizards would say - alpha male, of herd. Food must be getting scarce in marsh if they come so close to tribe's border. And it's not just them. Scouts have spotted several other lone bulls in area. Three are Mighty. And one of them is twice the size of all others. Lone bulls more aggressive than those in herd. If it has something to protect other than territory, a bull would prefer to leave to preserve herd than fight, they are smart. Bulls with no herd however attack anything in sight that bothers them."

"They are also more brave, and a few have passed by the glyphs, the Mightiest of them all included. That is why we do not let members of tribe to walk alone in the forest." Leer'krah finished.

'Huh, these gorgons sound "mighty" interesting.' Orion mentally chuckled at his joke, before asking. "If that is so, then why were you alone?"

"Sometimes merchants travel to here to trade with tribe. Their stocks essential for tribe's survival. Leer'krah provides escort for them. Too many hunters would attract too much attention, so Leer'krah goes alone. But it seems today there were no merchants." The lizardman explained.

"Well, I hope your tribe likes me as much a merchant." Orion said, smirking, as he thought. 'It would make my mission of building a force to fight the hybrid much easier.'

Leer'krah laughed at the joke. "We shall see brother. We shall see."

* * *

 _Note: The story develops a couple of years after the end of the events of Tribes of the East._


	3. Chapter 3: Local Integration

_Author's note: Well, this took a long longer than anticipated to write, for which I apologize. Real life, Legacy of the Void and Undertale kept me a bit busy. But I hope you enjoy this chapter and that its length compensates the time it took to write it._

 _Disclamer: This is a non-profit fan based fictional composition. Heroes of Might and Magic and all its related properties belong to Ubisoft. StarCraft and all its related properties belong to Blizzard Entertainment._

* * *

Nightfall had already taken over, as the duo continued their hike. During the few hours they spent in walking Leer'krah had shared more tales about his people's history with Orion. The orcs were created to defeat the demons, which they succeeded in doing. But after that they were forced into slavery by the wizards, along with the beastmen, which the wizard created to fill their armies, before they replaced their ranks with golems and other constructs animated by magic.

Unlike the beastmen the constructs didn't need provisions or rest, and because they were nothing more than mindless tools they made for much more efficient troops in the eyes of the wizards, which led to the beastmen's enslavement. It was years later when the orcs rose to liberate themselves, and the majority of the beastment rose to rebel against their masters and joined forces with the orcs. Only the Rakshasas - the prideful lion men, willingly remained at their masters' side, because they were too blinded by their own pride to realize that they themselves were slaves.

So a lot of beastmen fled the wizards' lands together with Kunyak, the greatest orc chieftain who led them accross the sea into new lands, where they would be free. From there on out some of the beastmen either stayed with the orcs, or left to seek their own fortune. The anscestors of Leer'krah's tribe had gone east, further than anyone, until they decided to situate themselves in the vast and lovely swampland they currently called home.

During their time spent with the orcs many of the beastmen, that including Leer'krah's tribe, adopted the belief in Mother Earth and Father Sky from the orcs, along with some of their speech. The Earth gave them their flesh and the means to sustain it, while the sky breathed their spirit and will within them. To Orion such a belief seemed too primitively bothersome, but it wasn't any less so when compared to the fact that other people in this world worshiped dragons, apparently. In any case, regardless of his opinion on the matter he played along, mimicking fascination with the lizardman's words.

As Leer'krah spoke, Orion spotted a source of light in the distance. "We are near I see." He said, pointing in its direction.

The lizardman squinted his eyes, trying to pierce the pitch black darkness and barely managed to catch a minuscule glimpse of a flame in the distance. Leaning his head back, eyes wide with amazement, he let out. "You have good eyes brother."

"Thank you." Orion returned.

However, something else caught his attention. As he scanned the nearing destination he saw a second light that came from the ground level and was much more shaky than what he would expect from a torch. An idea of what it might have been came to his mind, but he wanted to double check, just to be sure.

"Is there water near your city? Because I think I see a reflection of a torch."

"Your sight does not lie to you." Leer'krah spoke. "There is in fact water there. Our city is built at the bank of a big lake that is hidden deep within the swamp, covered by the canopies of the trees."

"Then we better watch out step. I for one wouldn't want us to fall into it because we couldn't see it." Orion jokingly said.

"Worry not Orion. It is not hard to spot. Besides, during this time of day it is most likely that we will have a warning when we reach close to it." Leer'krah said, a smile forming on his face.

"What do you mean by that?" Orion inquired, raising a confused brow.

The lizardman chuckled, before responding. "You will see." Leaving his companion quite puzzled.

* * *

It took the pair about half an hour before the still face of the massive lake came to their view.

"You were right. Missing this lake and falling into it would be really shameful." Orion noted.

The lizardman only smiled in response.

"Though I still don't get what did you mean about us getting w-"

Orion halted his speech when his ears detected a loud rustling sound coming down from the trees above them. Instinctively he ducked and put his hands above his head for cover, noticing that Leer'krah did the same, only a little slower than him. Mere heartbeats later something swooped right above their heads, made a loud splash in the lake's water and buzzed upwards into the air.

Looking up he was surprised to see two snake like creatures, each sporting two pairs of insectoid wings on its upped back and clutching a fish in their maws. One was green, with large round yellow eyes. The other was almost twice as large, its scales, as Orion focused his eyes on them, seemed golden, while its eyes were bloody red. In addition it seemed to have hair growing around its head and on the tip of its tail.

As the creatures flew onto branches in nearby trees, the two men stood up.

"What were those things?" Orion questioned.

Pointing up, Leer'krah explained. "Smaller one we call Serpent Fly, and bigger one - Dragon Fly. Cousin species, blessed by Father Sky with the ability to soar on his breath."

"Why have your people not disposed of them yet?" Was the man's next question.

"Not all beasts are as independent as the Gorgons. Beastmasters of Leer'krah's tribe have tamed almost all Serpent and Dragon Flies in the region. They now live in large colony next and within the city. Though heed my advice and do not pester them to avoid getting bitten, until you are accepted by tribe."

"Alright...I take it that they pack a nasty bite?"

"Indeed. Both species secrete venom that weakens their victims. One bite is enough to make your head spin. But that is of the Serpent Flies. The Dragon Flies' venom is much more concentrated. While it is not lethal, its disabling effects are so powerful that it is capable of removing even magical enhancements and blessings, leaving whatever it bit a struggling weakened mess." The lizardman said, before finishing. "As to why you shouldn't bother them before tribe accepts you, it is because the beasts are very protective of those that tamed them."

"Thanks...I'll be sure to keep that in mind." Orion returned. Then he looked at the walls of the city. Judging by the moving torches he estimated that there were five guards patrolling over it on this side. 'They won't be difficult to handle should things go south. Tough admittedly everything could be much easier and less bloody, if these accursed glyphs of fear didn't mess with my psionics. So far I can easily block them away from my mind, but I should definitely try to develop some resistance towards them, so that I don't waste my mental energy in blocking them out.'

His attention was then attracted by the rhythmic beat of drums, accompanied by the occasional stretch of a flute. "Ancestors' bones, the evening ceremonies had started!" Leer'krah exclaimed, before he ran for the gates of the wall, momentarily turning around to address Orion. "Come along, brother. This will be a perfect opportunity to introduce you to the tribe!"

* * *

The guard, a lizardman, marched up to the edge of the wall, where the gate stood and sighed as he expected another evening with nothing happening, other then him missing the evening festivities. He was just about to turn around when a whistle passed by his ears. He looked down, surveying the are that the torches revealed. His lips curved upwards upon seeing a familiar face.

"Open up the gate. Leer'krah is back!" The lizardman called down below.

However, his enthusiasm was lessened once he saw the rather demonic looking figure accompanying the hunter. "And he's got company..." He whispered to himself.

* * *

Orion couldn't help but admire the massive stone walls, and how they were constructed by such a primitive people. However he scowled upon seeing more glyphs of fear draw onto its structure. 'For Pete's sake, don't these beastmen have better things to do than draw psionic altering graffiti everywhere?' The man thought in a flustered manner, before mentally sighing and adding. 'Though I guess I can't blame them. If I had an extremely efficient means of defense I would be overzealous with it myself.'

The tall wooden gate embedded in the wall slid inwards, its wings spreading before the approaching duo, revealing several warriors, both male and female, carrying either spears or bows and daggers.

"Look everyone, the lone hunter returns. Did Leer'krah see any merchants, or was he out trying to tame a Gorgon again?" One of the spearmen jokingly stated as he stepped forward, his company sharing a laugh.

"Jest all you want Mazaret, but with each day I make progress." Leer'krah returned, with joy on his face as well as he walked up to Mazaret.

Both lizardmen went for what Orion could describe as a high five, only they grabbed their hands and pulled each other in for a short hug, quickly backing away.

"I swear brother, this fixation of yours is going to cost you your life some day." Mazaret returned, his tone now expressing concern.

"Maybe. But it shall weave my name into songs." Leer'krah proudly said.

Mazaret sighed and shook his head, a faint smile still present on his face. "You won't listen once again I see." He then looked past his friend and scowled at the sight of Orion. "And...who is this?" He asked, clenching the shaft of his spear in his hand.

The zerg scowled himself, noticing an unpleasant note in the lizardman's tone. "My name is Orion." He stated, stretching the fingers on one of his hands, preparing himself should the situation turn hostile.

"Steady your hand brother." Leer'krah addressed Mazaret, moving between the two. "I know how he looks, but he is no demon. He is kin to us."

"Kin?" Both Mazaret and the other lizardmen questioned.

"Like us he is a creation of the wizards. Another _experiment_ to merge men and demons. But since he too rebelled against them, instead of killing him they stole most of his memories and sent him away with some spell that got him to our land." Leer'krah explained.

Orion was not at all fond with the idea of someone else speaking for him, but he had to admit that at this very moment it was in his best interest to let his "brother" do so.

Mazaret looked at the stranger with transparent mistrust. He pulled Leer'krah a few steps away, both turning around, and whispered to him. However, Orion was perfectly able to hear the hidden conversation.

"Are you sure about this brother? This one smells wrong from afar. One never knows what comes out of toying with demons. The orcs had it balanced, the cyclopses not so much, but this one seems more demon than all of them put together."

"You don't have to be so paranoid. Like you just said, one never knows what can come. Even if he was something worse before, it was lost when the wizards robbed his mind. He wants to start anew, learn about our culture and live peacefully." Leer'krah defended his companion.

'That's sweet of you.' Orion thought, allowing himself a mental smile, which quickly faltered as the other lizardman continued.

"Mazaret needs to be paranoid. I am one of tribe's defenders. And the last thing I need to occupy my mind with is a potential demon trying to hurt us."

"Last thing?" Leer'krah questioned. "What has happened?"

"Turanaga is Korbac's challenger." Mazaret returned, with obvious dread in his tone.

"What?! Turanaga?!" Leer'krah exclaimed.

"Keep your voice down." Mazaret warned. "His chances of beating Korbac are slim, but still they are present. We should keep our opinions to ourselves until the fight ends."

"You're right. Mother Earth and Father Sky could very well smile to our people and bless the chieftain so that he can rid the tribe of that filth." Leer'krah returned.

"He can stay here if you vouch for him, but I will be keeping an eye on him until I see fit. And should he step out of line I will take him down." The spearman cleared that he was referring to Orion, by doing a quick nod of his head in the zerg's direction.

"Understood, brother. But please, try to keep an open mind. Remember, unlike the orks we beastmen cherish friends more than enemies." The hunter solemnly spoke.

Upon exchanging one final nod, Mazaret stepped aside letting the pair pass. Catching up to Leer'krah, Orion said.

"Well he seems friendly. What's the matter?"

A distraught look colored Leer'krah's face and spoke. "You see, our tribe is led by its strongest warrior - the chieftain, and the wisest among us - the wisdom elder. Each year some can challenge them for those positions, performing trials of wisdom against the elder, or a duel to the death against the chieftain. Tonight is this year's challenge against our current chieftain. Usually transfer of power is messy so Mazaret as a protector of tribe is...unsettled by it."

The zerg narrowed his eyes. "From what I noticed he was more "unsettled" by this Turanaga character. What's the deal with him?"

A grim chuckle escaped the lizardman after which he explained. "Turanaga...is one of our warriors. He would have the tribe wage war on our neighboring two tribes to take their territory. Something our current chieftain Korbac and most of the tribe don't agree with. Some of our other warriors were quite open with their disagreement on the matter. But he challenged Korbac. And if Turanaga wins, he will very likely begin rooting out those who would oppose him. Leer'krah and Mazaret being amongst those."

"Aha." Orion hesitantly let out. "I can see how something like that can make one more cautious than normal." While thinking 'But his hostility troubles me. Even though it's on a borderline juvenile level I can't risk any problems until I am properly set up here. Maybe if things get a little stirred up by a new head of command I'll have the time I need.'

"Thank you for your understanding brother." Leer'krah said.

As they approached what Orion assumed to be the central square of the city the drumming music became louder, making the atmosphere feel more intense.

"So what was that about you trying to tame a gorgon that Mazaret mentioned?" Orion asked in an attempt to lift the spirits of the situation.

It seemed to work as the lizardman smiled and spoke in a more upbeat manner. "Like I told you as we neared the city the beastmasters of tribe have tamed most of the serpentine flies of the region, while neighbouring tribe has a few themselves, along with several basilisk families. But none have ever had a beastmaster tame a gorgon. Leer'krah intends to be the first. That is why I study them, to increase chances of success."

"That seems like a very dangerous task, why are you this adamant on doing it?" The zerg wondered.

"Our bodies do not last long upon the face of Mother Earth. Our heritage is what makes our names immortal. And to be the first one to accomplish this would be good material for songs that will be sang by many generations to come." Leer'krah explained.

"I understand. Leaving a lasting heritage is a noble quest, but is risking your life the proper way to go about it?" Orion asked.

"If one is not willing to lay down his life for a cause, that cause is not worth following." The lizardman responded. "The choice of how our lives will end is what makes us free. If one does not have it, one is but a tool. Like orcs and beastmen were to wizards before."

His words brought an interesting thought to Orion's mind. He indeed had quite in common with these creatures. He himself had been a tool for the Confederacy. A precise tool that would cut out any problems. Then he was taken by the Overmind who intended to make him his own tool. Thankfully he managed to avoid that fate.

'...Wait...WAIT!' The zerg thought. 'The Overmind wanted me to be his tool to fight the hybrid...and I am currently thinking of how to fight them...Son of a bitch! Even after his death he is using me!' Orion shouted in his mind.

Thankfully, Leer'krah's gaze was away in the moment Orion failed to contain his fury with his realization.

Upon calming himself, the zerg reasoned. 'Ugh!...Even if I don't like it, the hybrid and their creator are a threat that must be dealt with for the sake of all that exists. But it won't be for free. I've played the role of a toy for far too long. I'll save the universe, but in turn it shall aknowledge me as its ruler and become a part of my Swarm.'

A faint smirk briefly appeared on Orion's face as another amusing thought crossed his mind with a joking hint. 'For I am the King of Blades.'

Leer'krah raised a brow upon noticing his party's expression. "Did I say something funny?"

"Oh, no, no my friend." Orion returned with an upbeat manner. "I just liked what you said and I aggree with it. If one does not make his own way, then there is no point in allowing life to continue."

"Not exactly my words, but I see you got what I mean." The lizardman conceded.

* * *

The pair made it out to an open space between the huts that made up the architecture of the city. A mass of lizarmen - males, females and their offspring had gathered around a roughly ten meter wide ring of large drums placed on the ground. Lizardmen with bright red paint covering their bodies vigorously struck the stretched out skin, producing the spirit lifting sounds that echoed through the city. Behind each drummer a tall torch stood erected, lighting the area.

The gathered lizardmen parted way and looked with worry at Orion, but quickly settled upon seeing the calm resolve of his escort.

'Huh. If I didn't know better, I'd assume that they shared a connection like the protoss' Khala.' Orion thought.

As Orion surveyed his surroundings he noticed that various drinks and food items were passed throughout the gathered crowd. Suddenly he found himself staring down a large roasted chicken leg, held by Leer'krah, who said.

"Regardless of the thoughts on the matter, this is still considered a celebration. Enjoy."

The zerg hesitantly accepted the offering and brought it up to his mouth. He wondered if him being infested had rendered him unable to enjoy eating like he did as a human. He bit into the cooked flesh, and immediately spoke the first thought that came to his mind. "This tastes delicious." It seemed that his fears on the matter were unnecessary.

He received a positive nod from his companion and the two found themselves better spots to view the event. One lizardman stood knelt down at both ends of the inner ring.

"So, which one is who?" Orion asked, taking another bite from the leg. It was indeed well done.

"That one is Turanaga." Leerk'krah said, pointing at the one that was closer to their position. His face had marks drawn over it with bright orange paint. "And that there is Korbac." The lizardman's finger moved to the warrior on the opposite end of the ring. He bore similar marks on his face, only his were green.

Both of them were quite large specimens, making a lot of the surrounding lizardmen seem meek and fragile in Orion's eyes. What was more intriguing to him however was the ornate tent, made from colorful fabrics, that was behind Korbac. In it, on what seemed like a thin wooden couch, sat a lizardwoman, dressed in white furs, surrounded by several other males and females of her kind.

She observed Korbac closely, before what seemed like surprise colored her features and she suddenly turned her head and looked directly at Orion. Not wanting her to find out that he was staring at her, the zerg slightly averted his gaze away. Curiously, he felt something trying to dig itself into his mind. Unlike the emissions of the glyphs, which tried to crush through from all sides, this was a different type of energy, much darker in nature than that of the glyphs, and it was concentrating all of its efforts into a single point. Thankfully for Orion, his mental barriers imbued with Void energy withstood the attack with relative ease.

Certain that his defenses were intact, Orion looked around, trying to pinpoint the source of the newly encountered energy. It was't long before his eyes once again met with those of the female upon the wooden couch, who had seemingly not taken her gaze down from Orion at all.

The zerg felt a light jab at his side, turning to see a sneering Leer'krah.

"What?" Orion questioned?

"I notice that you are eyeing our wisdom elder Samara, and that she is doing the same." The lizardman said.

"So that's who that is." Orion casually conversed, diverting his attention to his companion, hoping to lower Samara's suspicions that he had picked up on her attempt to intrude his mind.

He wished to inquire more about that, but thought that he himself would do the same should a threatening figure appear before him, so he brushed it off as a leader looking out for her people. Instead he asked the next most obvious question. "Who are the men and women that surround her?"

"Her children." Leer'krah calmly responded.

Orion looked dumbfounded. "All of them?" He confusedly asked.

"All of them." The lizardman returned.

"Wow. Your kin ages well I see." Orion noted.

Leer'krah gave out a quiet laugh. "No my friend. We do not age well. As I told you our elders are changed when the current one is surpassed in trials of wisdom. But there has been none so far that have managed to surpass Samara, so in order for our people to not lose her guidance she has been utilizing blood magic to retain her youth. She has been our wisdom elder for nearly a hundred summers."

The claim baffled Orion, his eyes widening. "That...was unexpected." He uttered before asking. "And who were the lucky gentlemen that fathered those children?"

"Tribe's chieftains throughout the generations. By tradition if chieftain and wisdom elder can have babies they become mates." The lizardman explained.

The idea momentarily puzzled Orion, before realization struck him. "The strongest and wisest make for better generations to continue the tribe?" He voiced his thought for confirmation, which he received in the form of a nod. "And how many of the ones there are the brood of Korbac?"

"So far they have not been blessed by Mother Earth with child, which is one of the reasons Turanaga issued challenge. He has had eyes for elder for long while, but he couldn't have her grace while Korbac reigned. Despite preaching the chieftain soft and weak, all tribe knew that if Turanaga issued challenge it would only be to get to Samara."

"I see." Orion returned.

Suddenly the drummers ceased their activity, along with all other sound around them. Everyone's attention locked onto the ring as both warriors stood up and faced each other. No weapons other than their teeth and claws were present. No armor but their scales and a loincloth.

'So this Korbac fellow is the calm collected type that thinks for the safety of his people. Most noble, but it could pose a bothersome issue down the road. Turanaga on the other hand is a hot headed selfish prick it seems. Now that is someone easy to utilize. He may turn hostile at first, but seeing how his PR isn't positive I can easily flip things against him. Taking all things into consideration, it would be in my plans' best interest for Turanaga to win. Let's see how he fares.' Orion thought as the warrior he was rooting for roared at his opponent and charged.

Korbac returned with a roar of his own, stomping his feet onto the ground to get a more stable footing. Mere heartbeats after the two lizardmen's massive bodies collided. Turanaga came in with a right hook, but the attack was far too obvious. The chieftain managed to lean aside, dodging the punch, and grabbed his opponent's outstretched arm, pulling him in and stabbing his shoulder into his chest.

A few collective winces from the hit were muffled by a loud cheer. 'Ah hell...' Orion thought as he silently observed.

Turanaga felt the air exit his lungs as he crumbled to the ground. Korbac raised one foot and was about to stomp his opponent's midsection. Before he could land the strike, Turanaga rolled on his back, grabbing the falling leg with both of his arms, throwing Korbac over himself. No sooner than the chieftain fell to the ground, the challenger was on top of him, tightening an arm around his neck and squeezing.

Several violent hisses left Korbac as he freed one of his arms, which were pressed beneath his body, and shot it up, his claws running over the side of Turanaga's face. The lizardman with the orange face paint screeched the claws nearly blinded one of his eyes, causing his grip to loosen. Using the moment Korbac lowered his jaws and bit onto the arm that had coiled around his neck.

The challenger yowled and let go, immediately after which the chieftain threw him off his back. Turanaga fell flat on his behind, blood streaking down from the scratch over his face and the puncture marks on his arm. Looking up from the bite he was just in time to see Korbac up on his feet. The next moment the chieftain kicked his opponent straight in the chest, sending him back a couple of steps.

Waves of cheers followed. A few jeers were added when Turanaga began standing up.

'Someone could have mention that the guy was a lost cause when it came to combat skills...' Orion thought.

"Turanaga must fight harder if he wants to be called chieftain!" Korbac taunted.

"Korbac shouldn't worry about such thing!" Turanaga returned as he charged again.

This time instead of going for a swing he lowered his upper body, grabbing Korbac around the waist and tackled him to the ground. As the two wrestled, Korbac slowly beginning to overpower Turanaga, the zerg pondered on what steps to take.

'If I wish to utilize that idiot I will need him in a position of power, at least for a short while, but it doesn't seem like he'll be able to get one.' He reasoned as he observed the fight, doing his best not to show his displeasure in the outcome that was becoming more and more apparent.

'I will have to help him...' Orion paused his thoughts, quickly glancing at the wisdom elder, who had shifted her attention onto the "spectacle" in front of them. 'But if she has psionic abilities she will most definitely catch onto my interference, especially if she is focused on the two.'

A faint puff of air left his nostrils as he looked down. Shortly after which his eyes momentarily widened in realization. 'She can pick up anything I try to do two those two. But I bet she won't be able to follow something smaller.'

With that thought he focused, causing a miniature rock, no bigger than a child's nail, to levitate off of the ground. Just as the crowd cheered again, Orion cracked a smile as his gaze shot up, the rock following his gaze with speed that did not allow for anyone else to see it. Orion continued to sharply shift his field of vision in various direction, increasing the rock's velocity as his telekinetic grasp swung it along.

Samara paid close attention to the fight. Korbac had managed to survide Turanaga's onslaught of punches and scratches, landing an elbow directly into his opponent's temple. It was in that moment of relief that she allowed herself to break contact and look at the stranger in their midst. After she was not able to penetrate his mind she was on high alert. What confused her however was that he showed no sign of even noticing her attempt to intrude on his thoughts. Were his mental defenses that strong to simply shrug her advance off, or did he even know that he had them. The wisdom elder was unsure of whether to trust the knowledge of the hunter Leer'krah about the stranger.

Now however she witnessed something peculiar. The stranger, whose name was Orion as she saw in Leer'krah, vigorously moved his eyes around. Samara tried to follow his field of vision, but the only thing she could deduce he followed was the fight in the ring. 'Is it that interesting to him that he tries to follow every single detail?' She wondered.

The challenger's heavy form rolled sideways after taking a powerful punch to the stomach. He coughed out some blood before Korbac mounted himself over him. Before Turanaga could react, the chieftain's large hands gripped his throat and began squeezing the life out of him.

"Turanaga is weak hothead! Not worthy to lead tribe!" Korbac called out, provoking a positive response from the crowd.

His opponent was unable to say anything else as he struggled to breathe.

Orion's gaze did an impossible to detect shift of direction in less than a heartbeat, his telekinetic grasp releasing the miniature rock, which now flew the air at breakneck speed.

As Korbac pressed down on Turanaga's throat with the entire weight of his upper body he suddenly felt a piercing pain in his throat. Not long after he started having trouble breathing, blood rushing to exit from his mouth. Before any visible syptoms could be shown, other than the incredibly small puncture wound in his throat, the strength in his hands left him. His opponent was momentarily confused by that, but quickly brushed it off, peeling the chieftain's hands off of his neck and landed an uppercut to Korbac's lower jaw. The hit had him stagger back. As a little bit of blood began to leave the wide-eyed lizardman's mouth his challenger lunged up, biting onto his throat.

With a single yank of his neck Turanaga ripped out the flesh, blood spraying over his face. Korbac fell down as his life drained away from him, coating the ground. Unknown to anyone, the rushing blood leaked out the stone that had pierced his throat. Without an exit wound, the entrance ripped open and the ground beneath painted red, Orion smiled in his mind, behind his fake expression of shock, knowing that his deed would never be revealed.

Gasps of shock filled the air. Turanaga stood up and moved closer to Korbac, who was still desperately clinging to life. The challenger knelt down, grabbing the chieftain's head between his hands. He then leaned in and whispered in his ear. "Korbac is weak. Not worthy to lead tribe." And then loudly snapped his opponent's neck, dropping his lifeless body to the ground.

Standing up again, Turanaga slowly spun in place, surveying the surroundings before him. With a proud grin he raised his arm into the air and declared. "Korbac's spirit goes to Father Sky and his flesh to Mother Earth! Turanaga is chieftain of tribe now!"

Silence fell. It was broken by a creeking sound. Everyone turned their heads to see Samara getting off of her wooden couch and walking towards Turanaga. The victor slowly kneeled and looked down at the ground. When she was right in front of him the lizardwoman spoke.

"Turanaga, by our ancestral traditions you have defeated Korbac." She inhaled deeply, but her stoic expression was unwavering. "By the will of Mother Earth and Father Sky you are now chieftain of Eye of the Swamp's tribe. Stand."

Hesitant clapping broke out as the lizardman stood up, towering over the wisdom elder's form.

"Eye of the Swamp?" Orion questioned, turning towards an obviously displeased Leer'krah.

Huffing, he replied. "That is what our ancestors named the lake our city is built by."

"But before the ceremony of you taking your new title, we must honor our dead chieftain and usher him into Mother Earth's embrace." Samara stated.

Nodding his head, Turanaga returned in a solemn tone, that barely concealed his excitement. "Of course, elder. As the gods and people will."

With that the crowd began moving, gathering even closer together.

Sighing Leer'krah spoke to Orion. "We shall be performing the ceremony of death for our chieftain. It is a...how do you say...private matter. Only people of tribe allowed."

Before he could continue, the zerg flashed him a sincere smile and replied. "I understand brother. I will go find myself a tree to spend the night under and not disturb your ritual."

"Thank you." Leer'krah said as he walked away with the crowd.

Orion waved him off, before turning around and marching on towards the city's wall. 'Now I'll have time to do some grocery shopping.' He thought and laughed mentally.

* * *

Once at the wall, the zerg spotted a couple of guards that stood watch.

'Time to see if my ghost tricks can still work with all of the glyphs around.' Orion thought before taking a deep breath and concentrating.

A moment later he snapped his eyes wide opened, sending out two powerful psionic waves. When the invisible forces washed over them the guards instantly fell asleep, dropping to the ground.

'Good. it's nice to still have an edge.' Orion almost snickered as he used his telekinesis to fly over the wall and hover above the ground as to not leave any footprints in the mud.

Once a considerable way into the woods he began emitting a signal from his mind, which was intended to draw in any animal nearby as a challenge of sorts. He enforced it with void energy to make sure the signal pierced through that of the glyphs. In about ten minutes he heard a loud bellow, which brought a smile on his face. He threw himself to the side, not falling thanks to his telekinesis, just as a silverish-black gorgon charged over his previous location.

Looking it over, Orion assessed that it was slightly larger than the first mighty gorgon he had the pleasure of meeting. "Thank you for taking up my invitation, but I was honestly hoping for-" The man addressed the beast, but was cut off as something massive tore through the woods, slamming head first into the gorgon and flinging it into a nearby tree. The impact killed the gorgon on the spot, along with bringing down the tree it hit.

Moonlight leaked down from the hole in the canopies. A brief look at the corpse showed Orion that the side of its ribcage was shattered, with a stab wound on both sides. Immediately after his gaze fixated itself onto the enourmous arrival. It was another mighty gorgon, but it was about two times the size of the one that it had just killed, its head roughly three meters off the ground, while its shoulders reached four. The moonlight reflected from its scales, complimenting its terrifying gaze. Orion imbued more void energy into his mental defenses to counteract the effect of the beast's eyes, but he still felt a little unnerved by it.

But that sensation was nothing in comparison to the mix of pride and joy that Orion currently experienced. Smiling, he spoke. "Yes. You're the one I was looking for." The zerg stated.

The beast seemed incredibly angry that this small creature before it did not tremble before it, but instead smiled. Releasing a deaffening bellow, before charging at Orion, who simply stood his ground, still smiling.

As the beast neared, the zerg slowly raised one of his arms and suddenly opened his palm. In an instand the gorgon froze, immobilized mere inchens from Orion's hand. Confusion slowly shifted to fear as it tried to free itself from whatever had stopped it, but as much as it tensed its muscles its body refused to moove.

A chuckle escaped Orion as he spoke. "A mighty fine specimen indeed." He floated to the side of the gorgon and neared it. "You're the perfect room mate for a friend of mine." Upon saying that, Orion brought up his other hand. Out of nowhere a sickly green orb with what looked like some kind of larva formed in it.

The gorgon's eyes no longer inflicted fear, instead they were terrified. Since it could not kick it began letting out screams and bellows of distress.

"I hope you two get along." Then Orion thrust the orb and the creature within right into the gorgon's head. Its painful screams became louder, foam leaking out of its mouth. Its eyes slowly rolled back into its head. Suddenly its thrashing ceased. Its eyes rolled back down, only now instead of burning yellow they were sickly green just like the orb that had entered the beast's head.

Orion then released it from his telekinetic grasp and asked. "How does it feel?"

The gorgon afirmatively shook its head in response.

"Good. Now I'll need you to-UGH!" The zerg was once again interupted by an arrow scrating onto and bouncing off the carapace on his back.

Turning around he saw Mazaret, with another arrow readied in his bow.

"What in Father Sky's name did you do to the guards and that gorgon!" The lizardman demanded.

Groaning, Orion replied. "I made them fall asleep and as for the beast I tamed it. And what the hell are you doing out here? Weren't you supposed to be at your chieftain's burrial?"

The gorgon wished to attack, but Orion sent it a mental command to stay its ground.

"Liar!" Mazaret shouted, completely ignoring the stranger's question. "That is not how you tame a beast! You enslaved it with some cursed magic you probably learned from the wizards!" Then he fired his arrow.

A bemused expression formed on Orion's face as he caught the arrow with his hand and threw it aside. "You really didn't like the way I look that much that you decided to try and make my life harder? I assumed the new change of command in your tribe would shift your focus."

"What?! Did you have anything to do with Korbac's death?!" Mazaret roared, throwing aside his bow and quiver, seeing as they would be of little use to him, and took up the spear that was on his back.

Orion shrugged, putting on an inocent smile. "Oops."

"You bastard!"

Sighing, the zerg said. "Well, now that you know my little secret I can't let you live even if I wanted to."

"You will be the one to die this evening, demon spawn!" Mazaret threatened and engaged Orion, who floated at the lizardman.

The guardsman began unleashing a volley of thrusts with his spear, which Orion dodged with ease, all the while chuckling. That angered Mazaret more and more, which made his attacks fiercer, but less concentrated. After a dozen more stabs the zerg grew bored and instead of just dodging grabbed the spear with one hand and cut it in two with his other hand.

Momentarily startled by that, Mazaret spun, trying to use the remaining stick in his hands as a weapon, but a mere step after pain seared through his entire body. Slowly lowering his eyes he saw six spiked tips poking out of his midsection. Orion had stabbed his clawed wings into the lizardman's back. Mazaret dropped the shaft of the spear and coughed out blood as he was lifted in the air.

Orion sneered at him and said. "Thank you for accepting me into your tribe." As the last bits of life faded from Mazaret.

With a single violent shake Orion dropped the corpse from his wings. Then he brought one of the talons to his mouth and licked the blood from it. Focusing he spread its genes in his own genetic stream, without attaining any physical change. But instead he felt the ceaseless bombardment from the surrounding glyphs of fear diminish until vanishing completely. "So he wasn't kidding about those with the blood of the tribe being resistant to the glyphs."

Then he turned to the gorgon. "I will be too far away to protect your mind from them, so listen carefully. I want you to completely devour this one..." He gestured at Mazaret. "...and the one at the broken tree. All flesh, bone marrow, eat the dirt that got soaked with their blood even. After that I want you to scour the forest. There should be another one like black bull. Find it, kill it and devour it as well. After that hunt down and eat anything you can find, except other like the blue one, until the sun begins to set tomorrow. I'll meet you there the next evening." Orion finished, sending a mental image of the lake's bank that heavily forested and outside of the lizardman city's view.

"Now go, and serve your king."


End file.
